Stephen Gardiner

Uncommon card · No. 110406

Stephen Gardiner (27 July 1483 – 12 November 1555) was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I. Skilled in canon law, he had a significant career as a civil servant and diplomat, being brought to King Henry VIII's attention when working for Cardinal Wolsey, then serving as the king's secretary. As a bishop, he was the most important religious conservative to retain his diocese during the later reign of Henry, supporting the king's claim as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. He spent most of the reign of Edward VI in prison, but was restored by Mary I of England, in whose reign he died.

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